Improvement in apparatus for cleansing feathers



W. MILLS.

Feather Renovator.

Pateted Uct. -29. 1861.'

UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes.

lVlLLlAM MILLS, OF NEV ATHENS, OllIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FEATHERS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,59f5, dated October 29, lSGl.

To all 'who'm/ it llt/.zy concer/7,.'

Beit known that I, WILLIAM Mums, of A' ew Athens, in the county of llarrison and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved l5`eather-Renovator; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l' is a side sectional view of my invention, taken iu the line x a; of Fig. il; and Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line f i/ y of Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in the two figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a feather-renovator which will be extremely simple in construction, very port-able, so that it can readily pass through a door of ordinary dimensions and still be capable of operating in a very efficient manner.

The invention consists in the employment or use of an ellipsoidal steam-chest or drier placed centrally within a correspondingshaped feather-receptacle, which is suspended on an axis and provided with steam-pipes, the above parts being used in connection with a blast or discharging' fan, all arranged to effeet the desired end.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention7 l will proceed to describe it..

A represents a stand or f raming7 which may be constructed in any proper way to support an ellipsoidal feather-reeeptacle ll, the axis of which isfitted in proper bearings a a 011 the framing, the axis and featherreceptaele being somewhat inclined, as shown in Fig. l.

Within the feather-receptacle l there is tted or placed centrally an elli psoidal steam- L chest D, which is considerably smaller than the feather-receptacle l, as will be seen by referring to Fig. L. lhe axis (l ot' the featherreceptacle l- (which axis is a tube) passes centrally through the steam-chest l.) and communicates at, one end with a steam-pipe .ll from a steam-boiler, and F F are two branch tubes, which pass through the feather-receptacle l5 at opposite sides of the steam-chest D, the pipes F being perforated, as shown at b, and communicating with the steam-pipe E,

. each tube C F F being provided with a cock c for the purpose olf cutting olf steam, when necessary.

G is a blast-ian which is placed wit-hin a suitable case l l, provided 'with a spout I. 'lhis spout, when the fan G- is in use, is insert-ed in one en d ol' the feather-receptacle B in the plane ol' its major diameter, and a dischargeopening .l is made in the opposite end of the feather-receptacle at a corresponding point. rlhe feather-receptacle l is provided with a door K, through which the receptacle is supplied with feathers.

The operation is as follows: rlhe receptacie B is supplied with the feathers which are to be renovated, and steam is admitted into the tubes C F F while the receptacle l-l `is turned. The tube (l heats the chest D, from which heat is radiated into the receptacle ll, and consequently into the midst of the feathers. The feathers are renovated or cleansed by the admission of steam through the pipes F F, the heat from D drying the feathers when cleansed, and after the steam is eut off from the tubes F F the vapor passing' through a perforated cover (l in the receptacle B, the close cover G being removed to admit of such result. W hen the feathers are thoroughly dried, the end of the blast-spout I is inserted in the end of the -feather-receptacle l, the latter being stationary and so adjusted that. its major diameter will be in a vertical position. fly this means it. will be seen that the dried and .renm-'ated feathers are brought within a narrow space-to wit, the lower part of the receptacle ,ll-aud by rotating the fan G with a proper speed the feathers will all be discharged from the receptacle.

'lhe ellipsoidal forni of the feather-receptacle effects two important results, to wit: first, the ready expulsion ofV the feathers through the medium of the fan, owing to the former settling down .into a narrow passage in line with the blast, and, second, the en abling ol the device to be carried through a door of ordinary dimensions by simply turning the feather-receptacle l so that its 4inajor diameter will. be in a vertical position. .By having the steam-chest l) at thc center of the receptacle ll the feathers will be heated and dried by a moderate expend it ure of steam, as the heat from chest D is radiated directly among the feathers, the chest D not being at all exposed to the external air. lhe steam tubes F F also perform two functions, to wit: first, the admission of steam into the receptacle 15 for the purpose of renovating the feathers, and, second, the scattering or spreading of the feathers during the rotation of the receptacle, so that the feathers may bc fully acted upon and cleansed.

I do not claim the renovating of feathers by means of steam passing into a rotating receptacle irrespective of the construction and arrangement herein shown and described, for such device has been used for the purpose; but

W' hat I claim as new, and desire t secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The employment or use of an ellipsoidal feather-receptacle B and steam-chest D, arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the ellipsoidal feather-receptacle B and steam-chest D, the perforated steam-tubes F F C, and blast-fan G, all arranged for joint operation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

XVILLIAM MILLS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. GANE, JAS. C. HENDERSON. 

